We read this statement together before every group discussion!

It helps transition the group to discussion time, it reaffirms our highest values, and sets a tone of trust, consistency, and safety for everyone in the group.

We are a group of imperfect people pursuing a perfect God. We exist to help each other find and follow Christ. These are some things we want to be true of our group:

We create a safe and honest environment, staying transparent and authentic.

We keep it inside the circle. Confidentiality is necessary for a healthy group.

We look together to the Bible for help and guidance, and keep out our own politics, sales, or agendas.

We do not try to fix each other, preach sermons, or give unsolicited advice. We instead encourage, listen to, and celebrate each other.

We handle conflict between us quickly and honestly by going to the person, owning our part, and practicing forgiveness.

We respect each others’ time by starting and ending when we say we will.

We trust that it is God’s role to change people, not ours.

We believe that in Jesus Christ, there is hope for everyone.

If you've ever been around a toddler you know that the questions can be endless, and sometimes ridiculous! We like to think that we outgrow asking ridiculous questions, but just look at your recent search history on google and you might just laugh at yourself. During this series at Mission we've been learning together to ask better questions. Questions that, if asked everyday, could literally change our lives.

To talk about what story we want our lives to tell, Mike brought us through the story of the worst trade in history. An oldest son, entitled to wealth, authority, and an unbelievable legacy, trades it all away for just a bowl of stew. But we aren't so different from him - we all trade away longterm gain for immediate satisfaction at some point. But we all can start telling a better story with our lives by seeing the big picture of who God wants to make us into.

CONNECT

((If you are leading a new group or even have just a few new people, spend a LOT of time to getting to know each other! The discussion guide isn't a check list to be completed, it's there to serve your group and help you connect. Go around and have every share as much as they're comfortable with about their lives - vocation, family, their experience with Mission, what made them join a group, etc.))

What are you most looking forward to this summer?

What's the worst trade you've ever made?

The legacy we've been handed is always a mixed bag of good and bad things. What are some clear legacies that have been handed down the family tree to you?

DISCOVER

Read Genesis 25:29-34 together.29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!”

31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”

32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”

33 But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.

So Esau despised his birthright.

We all get blinded by our appetites and make decisions that threaten our legacy, our influence, and our joy. What makes it so hard to think about the big picture and what God might want to use you to accomplish?

((Sometimes we pave the way for personal sharing by talking more generally! This question, after the Genesis story, is a good way to talk in generalities that will later pave the way for a more personal connection to the same ideas!))

APPLY

When has instant gratification been a "terrible life coach" for you?

((This question and the next go well together! You can ask them together, sandwich them together, or just save the second one as a follow-up question!))

When has waiting for something saved your from a mistake, heartache, or made what you were waiting for even better?

What's your "bowl of stew"? What do you have the most trouble waiting for, either in general, or right now in your life?

Mike said that our appetites for acceptance, intimacy, achievement, or anything else are neither bad nor good - and they're given to us by God! But, they are twisted by sin. What appetites in your life do you need to feed in a healthier way? How can you start doing that?

((If it feels appropriate for your group, or if you've done it before, this could be a conversation to continue in groups of guys and girls! That could pave the way for sharing that wouldn't be as easy in the big group))

What story do you want to tell in 10 years, or even at the end of your life? Who do you want to be down the road?

What's threatening to take you off track? What are some ways you can get there, day by day?

((It's easy to get caught up in the WHAT of our lives, instead of the WHO we want to be. Great follow-up questions to this one are pointed toward WHO instead of WHAT!))

((You can use the "follow-up question" as a part of the first question, or follow up with it afterward! We don't want to get lost in the big picture - it needs to be tied all the way to our day to day actions to become real!))

EXPERIENCE (FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK)

Start writing! "In ten years, I want to be..." Fill the paper up with WHO you want to be - what kind of dad, mom, friend, son, daughter, sibling, worker, grandparent, boss, Christ follower... Pull your eyes up to "what could be", instead of getting lost in what you need or want right now.

((This could be a great question to go around and ask, or a great thing to do over the next week and then check in on with everyone next week! Drawing connections from week to week is a powerful way to help each other engage with God and the things He's teaching us.))

Ask Better Questions

Am I telling myself the truth?

What is the wise thing to do?

What story do I want to tell?

What will honor God?

Genesis 25:24-34

24 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 25 The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. 26 After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.

27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. 28 Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!”

31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”

32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”

33 But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.